The Post-Pandemic City
Reimagining Public Housing and Vacant State Government Offices in Downtown Indianapolis
When the COVID 19 pandemic came to Indiana in March 2020 many of the more than 150,000 people who worked in Downtown Indianapolis were suddenly working at home ( Indianapolis Star, Alexandria Burris ). This sudden and dramatic shift left office buildings virtually empty. The Indiana Government Center complex was no exception.
More than a year into the pandemic and the number of people working Downtown has yet to approach anywhere near the daily average of people working there before COVID. Acres of offices and public spaces were vacated as everyone figured out how to work remotely.
It was a challenging transition but one that we learned, soon enough, was completely feasible, demonstrating that a physical government office was not altogether necessary. A year into this pandemic we are realizing how much can be done over the phone or a video call or by email.
The Indiana Government Center is situated within a 15 minute or less walk from many restaurants, cultural amenities, and recreational activities.
The Indiana Government Center complex's two main buildings are located just west of the Indiana State House.
Indiana Government Center sits just a few blocks west of Monument Circle
And just east of the Eiteljorg Museum and the Indiana State Museum
Not far from the Indiana Convention Center, Victory Field, and Lucas Oil Stadium.
With these buildings sitting nearly empty for so long and the pandemic year proving that working in a physical office is not necessary, why not put these large, high quality buildings to use housing the unhoused or those dealing with housing insecurity and instability. Is there a better way to make use of this vast amount of indoor space that could serve the greater good and the needs of the unhoused? What would it look like to re-imagine these large public spaces, these nearly empty government office buildings, in a way that more directly benefits the public? It’s been made clear that operating the functions of state government do not require state employees to be in a physical office space. With so many state employees working in the virtual office, this pandemic could present an opportunity to address the housing crisis by transitioning these publicly-funded spaces into affordable housing.
The Indiana Government Center is a large and well-built complex of buildings that could be converted to public housing for a great many individuals and families. Between the buildings is a pleasantly landscaped plaza that provides a nice place to walk, get sunshine, and fresh air during a work day. If people lived in these buildings, they would have a lovely and safe place to get outdoors.
When people think of public housing there are probably a variety of images that come to mind, at least some of which are not positive. But there are many examples throughout the world of high quality and aesthetically pleasing public housing. Beyond that, public housing can be, and often is, the site of strong community connections among residents. There are attractive and well-built examples of public housing across the world, including the UK, France, China, Russia, and many others. Photo credit: 王晓东 CC BY 3.0
The Karl Marx Court in Vienna photo credit: Bwag CC BY-SA 4.0
- Public Housing Units in Paris photo credit: Pymouss CC BY-SA 3.0
Kin Ming Public Housing Estate in Hong Kong photo credit: Baycrest CC BY-SA 2.5
Providing housing in this prime location would make Downtown Indianapolis much more walkable for many people, improving density without increasing crowding. If we are serious about addressing these social crises then we need to think radically about how governments use their tax-funded spaces. The IGC could be transitioned to a large public housing complex that would make the downtown area much more walkable for a large number of people. Paris, France is leading the way when it comes to rethinking urban planning. According to an article about how Paris is leading the way in the movement toward developing 15-minute cities, there are urban areas in the United States that are beginning to think this way, too. In terms of creating more walkable and livable 15 minute cities, this idea could certainly be a step in the right direction. Indianapolis and its environs are clearly designed for the vehicular age, unlike older cities in Europe or along the east coast of the US that developed in the days before cars.
Retrofitting Indianapolis to a 15 minute city would take a radical reimagining of its urban plan. However, I do believe that converting the IGC to public housing would aid this city in a shift toward a 15 minute city concept, making the entire downtown area much more walkable and accessible to a large number of people.
Glyn Robbins wrote in Jacobin about how “the past and future failures of the developer-led city” can guide us to rethink the city in a post-pandemic world. Robbins also points out that we are likely to have lots of unused office space even after the pandemic.
The question will be what to do with these vacant spaces. If the answer to this question is driven by the public good rather than private capital, then maybe we can take a step toward addressing ongoing housing issues.
